Providing quality research for the reader, this title encompasses all the recent developments in smart sensor technology for health monitoring in aerospace structures, providing a valuable introduction to damage detection techniques. Focussing on engineering applications, all chapters are written by smart structures and materials experts from aerospace manufacturers and research/academic institutions. This key reference: Discusses the most important aspects related to smart technologies for damage detection; this includes not only monitoring techniques but also aspects related to specifications, design parameters, assessment and qualification routes. Presents real case studies and applications; this includes in-flight tests; the work presented goes far beyond academic research applications. Displays a balance between theoretical developments and engineering applications

This book covers important performance characteristics of aeronautical structures. The subject matter is presented in laymans terms without complicated mathematical details. This has been a basic one quarter course for safety, contracting, maintenance, research management, professional engineers and other professionals dealing with related aeronautical and systems engineering fields in the US Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT). The topics covered are aircraft design/ analysis, performance and their maintenance. The book addresses response characteristics of materials, and types of failures in aeronautical structures (e.g., fatigue, creep, fracture, buckling, and stress concentration) in both conventional metallic structures and composites. In most of the cases, as can be seen from publications resulting from AFIT masters level and PhD students work (Chapter 11), this subject matter was one of the preparatory courses for their thesis or dissertation. The author has more than 40 years experience in industry, research and academia including teaching this course for 5 years in AFIT.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a relatively new and alternative way of non-destructive inspection (NDI). It is the process of implementing a damage detection and characterization strategy for composite structures. The basis of SHM is the application of permanent fixed sensors on a structure, combined with minimum manual intervention to monitor its structural integrity. These sensors detect changes to the material and/or geometric properties of a structural system, including changes to the boundary conditions and system connectivity, which adversely affect the system's performance.This book's primary focus is on the diagnostics element of SHM, namely damage detection in composite structures. The techniques covered include the use of Piezoelectric transducers for active and passive Ultrasonics guided waves and electromechanical impedance measurements, and fiber optic sensors for strain sensing. It also includes numerical modeling of wave propagation in composite structures. Contributed chapters written by leading researchers in the field describe each of these techniques, making it a key text for researchers and NDI practitioners as well as postgraduate students in a number of specialties including materials, aerospace, mechanical and computational engineering.

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in Aerospace Structures provides readers with the spectacular progress that has taken place over the last twenty years with respect to the area of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). The widespread adoption of SHM could both significantly improve safety and reduce maintenance and repair expenses that are estimated to be about a quarter of an aircraft fleet's operating costs. The SHM field encompasses transdisciplinary areas, including smart materials, sensors and actuators, damage diagnosis and prognosis, signal and image processing algorithms, wireless intelligent sensing, data fusion, and energy harvesting. This book focuses on how SHM techniques are applied to aircraft structures with particular emphasis on composite materials, and is divided into four main parts. Part One provides an overview of SHM technologies for damage detection, diagnosis, and prognosis in aerospace structures. Part Two moves on to analyze smart materials for SHM in aerospace structures, such as piezoelectric materials, optical fibers, and flexoelectricity. In addition, this also includes two vibration-based energy harvesting techniques for powering wireless sensors based on piezoelectric electromechanical coupling and diamagnetic levitation. Part Three explores innovative SHM technologies for damage diagnosis in aerospace structures. Chapters within this section include sparse array imaging techniques and phase array techniques for damage detection. The final section of the volume details innovative SHM technologies for damage prognosis in aerospace structures. This book serves as a key reference for researchers working within this industry, academic, and government research agencies developing new systems for the SHM of aerospace structures and materials scientists. - Provides key information on the potential of SHM in reducing maintenance and repair costs - Analyzes current SHM technologies and sensing systems, highlighting the innovation in each area - Encompasses chapters on smart materials such as electroactive polymers and optical fibers

This open access book presents established methods of structural health monitoring (SHM) and discusses their technological merit in the current aerospace environment. While the aerospace industry aims for weight reduction to improve fuel efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and to decrease maintenance time and operating costs, aircraft structures are often designed and built heavier than required in order to accommodate unpredictable failure. A way to overcome this approach is the use of SHM systems to detect the presence of defects. This book covers all major contemporary aerospace-relevant SHM methods, from the basics of each method to the various defect types that SHM is required to detect to discussion of signal processing developments alongside considerations of aerospace safety requirements. It will be of interest to professionals in industry and academic researchers alike, as well as engineering students. This article/publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18203 (ODIN - http://odin-cost.com/), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.

This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) provides guidance on the definition, development, integration, qualification/certification, and deployment of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies applied to commercial and military rotorcraft. Increased implementation of SHM is believed to have numerous potential benefits, including enhanced operational safety and reduced maintenance burden. The focus is on augmenting ARP6461 to address specific unique aspects of implementing SHM on rotorcraft without unnecessarily duplicating guidance already contained in the ARP that is generally applicable to both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.For the purpose of this document, SHM is defined as "the process of acquiring and analyzing data from on-board sensors in order to determine the health of a structure". Note that this is irrespective of whether the on-board sensors are a permanent or temporary installation. On-board sensors could include any presently installed aircraft sensors as well as new sensors to be defined in the future. Interrogation of these sensors could be done on-board during flight or off-board using ground support equipment during maintenance activities. It is assumed that the primary user of SHM in the near term will be the maintenance and operations crew. This document does not include guidance on SHM business case analysis nor display of health state or recommendations to the flight crew in real-time. Rotorcraft manufacturers, operators, and regulatory agencies will be able to utilize this AIR to link existing resources, including ARP6461, to Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications in rotorcraft. Operating environment and subsystem architecture common for rotorcraft will be in the forefront of the enclosed guidance with intention of bridging any existing gaps between generic documentation and rotorcraft.